After both having extra time off, the Garrett Morgan Falcons and the Christian Community Warriors will shake off the cobwebs and square off against one another at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Given that both suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.
Garrett Morgan easily dispatched Collinwood two weeks ago, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. Garrett Morgan fell just short of Rhodes by a score of 51-48 two weeks ago.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Fatuma Abdi, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 15 boards. She is trending in the right direction considering she's improved her point production for four straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Raiin Kelly, who dropped a double-double on 12 points and 12 boards.
Even though they lost, Garrett Morgan smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 15 offensive rebounds in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Christian Community entered their game against Central Christian last Saturday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Christian Community was outmatched by Central Christian and fell 57-18. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Warriors have suffered since February 20th.
Garrett Morgan will have to keep a close watch on Anna Blumfeldt and Ella Szunyog, a pair of players who had a big impact on Christian Community's prior game. Blumfeldt posted 14 points and three steals, while Szunyog had no points. Blumfeldt has been hot, having posted three or more steals the last eight times she's played.
Garrett Morgan now has a losing record at 3-4. As for Christian Community, their loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 5-4.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Garrett Morgan has crashing the boards this season, having averaged 41 boards per game. However, it's not like Christian Community struggles in that department as they've been averaging 39.9 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Garrett Morgan beat Christian Community 44-35 in their previous meeting back in January. Will Garrett Morgan repeat their success, or does Christian Community have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
